Delivered exclusively through the National Skills Academy for Retail’s network of retail skills shops, located on high streets and in shopping centres nationwide, the series of seven master classes covers the key elements for success, including: the all-important vision for the store, developing the brand, buying the right merchandise, the look and feel of the shop and balancing the books.

Against the backdrop of tight economic trading conditions and with the BBC receiving over 6,500 applications from independent retailers desperate to feature on the current TV series of ‘Mary Queen of Shops’, The Mary Portas guide to successful retailing couldn’t be better timed and will be a real boost to thousands of independent and small businesses on the high street.

As outlined in Deloitte’s paper “2010 FIFA World Cup. A Turning Point for South Africa,” South Africa is reaping the rewards of hosting the Cup, including infrastructure improvements, an economic boost, and an increase of national pride.

“South Africa has been likened to a mix of the developed and developing world,” said Lwazi Bam, Public Sector Industry Leader, Deloitte Southern Africa. “On the one hand, a strong technological and economic base put it on a par with the well-developed nations of the world. On the other, infrastructure shortfalls have contributed to keeping it from realizing its full economic potential. This major global event is a catalyst for much-needed infrastructure improvements.”

The need to move tens of thousands of fans, teams, and accompanying supportpersonnel rapidly from one place to another prioritized the strengthening of South Africa’s transportation system.  The country completed much of the
first section of its new high speed Gautrain passenger railway and added bus lines.  Highways were upgraded and the city of Durban was able to finish the country’s first new green field airport in five decades.  These infrastructure projects have increased employment opportunities and provided workers long-term skills and training.

One of the challenges in building the infrastructure for the event was generating power without an unduly adverse environmental impact. New stadium facilities include such environmentally-friendly features as natural ventilation and rain water capture systems.

In addition, host cities have undertaken large-scale tree-planting projects in an effort to soak up excess carbon dioxide.  As a coal-dependent economy, South African faces challenges; however, these steps move the country toward greener energy sources.

To ensure security, the minister of police has consulted with officials from more than 30 different countries whose nationals are in the country, resulting in an unprecedented level of international cooperation.

Seeking to balance a welcoming atmosphere with rigorous security standards, 40,000 police officers, 25 percent of the country’s total force, have been assigned to the Cup.  All of these activities have required a renewed spirit of cooperation between national and local agencies and departments.

Greg Pellegrino, Global Public Sector Industry Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, said;

“South Africa has already realized many of the benefits hoped for by any national host of a major international sporting event. The event has provided a boost to national infrastructure improvements, increased employment during the global financial crisis, and provided a unifying rallying point for a still-developing nation. Moving the FIFA World Cup from a developed economy such as Germany, to an emerging economy such as South Africa, and to a continent that has never hosted the Cup, creates an important precedent for future hosts such as Brazil in 2014,”

Students who enroll for the new course will explore the latest thinking on technology, digital marketing and brand experience campaigns, and then explore how they apply to brand management.

The course is designed to be taken over a one year period full time or two years part time and will combine contributions from London Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Computing and Department of Applied Social Science as well as the London Metropolitan Business School.

The course structure includes six taught modules and a dissertation: Brand Equity; Data Mining Business Applications; Digital Marketing Fundamentals; E-Solutions and Digital Media Applications; Experiential Marketing; Marketing Research.

Dr Niall Caldwell, course leader at London Metropolitan Business School, said:

“Making sense of digital marketing is a top priority for most marketing professionals. This new course has been designed to explore the new digital world and expose students to the technical, social and commercial factors which are shaping the digital consumer. We want to equip students with the tools, understanding and skills they need in order to manage brands in the digital world.”

LMBS is located in the City of London and other central London sites and is the largest business school in the UK. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and has achieved an excellent rating for its teaching and research.

In addition to full-time study, LMBS also offers part-time courses, professional courses and executive education as well as conducting research and consultancy.

For more information visit the LMBS Digital & Experiential Marketing Degree webpage.

Managing Director of Easynet, Chris Stening gives businesses a timely reminder of what they might expect in less than two weeks time and offers the following advice:

“Traditionally, small businesses face a dilemma when deciding whether to allow employees to follow major sporting events during office hours. Whether it is through their PCs, phones or even pocket radios it is likely that fans will find a means of following the football regardless. This year however, small businesses need to consider the technical issue of bandwidth provision with large numbers of fans, especially those who are part of ‘generation Y’ who instinctively look to the internet to follow live events, using their work internet connections to follow the tournament.

We’d urge businesses to act now to avoid any reduction in connectivity or productivity. Smaller companies should audit their ongoing and future bandwidth requirements and ensure that their connection can support their most critical applications as well as managing spikes in demand. For example, one person viewing full HD streaming via the BBC’s iPlayer requires 1.5Mbps, so to have five people using this kind of service without impacting upon other services would require a minimum connection of at least 8Mbps without considering the bandwidth required by apps such as VoIP or email.”

Key Recommendations from Chris Stening, managing director, Easynet Connect:

- Early kick-off. Planning ahead will help you avoid paying the price of being caught by surprise and having productivity suffer as a result. It also means that businesses can avoid making reactionary decisions and measures once the football is underway.

- Match analysis. Speak with your ISP to get a full picture of how much bandwidth your business requires on a day-to-day basis as well as during peak times. This should give you an idea of the impact of staff using web streaming services upon other services, upon which you can base your decisions. It will also give you a picture of how heavily your business relies upon bandwidth.

- Team selection. It may be that your business is in need of increased capacity anyway, in which case it may be a good time to upgrade your current package, switch provider or to set up an extra line, such as an ADSL connection to carry low priority web traffic. If so, consider all of the technologies and packages available and make sure the option you choose is fully suited to your business and has the right back up options and service level agreements in place – it may be better value than you might think.

- Substitutions. There are technologies which can help businesses needing to manage their bandwidth. For example, MPLS technology lets businesses prioritise bandwidth for particular types of traffic, protecting the data transfer to the applications which your business relies upon.

- Rules of fair play. Web usage policies are far from a case of one policy fitting all and are completely dependent upon your staff and your business. Business should remember however that many people do still rely on their work as their primary means of accessing the web and the tools that it can provide. With the popularity of smartphones it is likely however that workers will find ways to follow the action regardless.

- The off-line rule. Don’t forget that you can keep up to speed with the football via traditional means without using up any bandwidth. Buying radios or even a TV for the office can be seen as a real treat and morale booster for your workers. Sensible usage will be advised but it is a sure-fire way of protecting your connection.

- Extra time. Consider using flexible working as a means to allow employees to make up for time spent watching matches out of the office. This also avoids the prospect of claiming sick leave in order to watch games.

That is the message from the Libertarian Alliance concerning measures by the new government to stop shops in England & Wales from selling alcohol at below cost price. I would like to think that it is a tongue in cheek response to the government plans that have received support from Tesco.

The outspoken Director of Libertarian Alliance, Dr Sean Gabb, made the following comments in London this week:

“The Government’s proposal, and the welcome given it by Tesco’s, amount to an attack on the poor. The ruling class politicians who continually whine about alcohol will not be affected by minimum pricing or the abolition of special offers. I might add that none of them can be affected by such laws. Income aside, anyone who lies his way into Parliament can look forward to round the clock drinking in the Palace of Westminster of untaxed alcohol.

But the measures will hurt poor people, for whom alcohol will become cripplingly expensive and hard to find. They have the same right to drink as the rest of us. Bearing in mind the problems willed on them by our exploitative ruling class, they often have a greater need to drink.

The claim that drinking ’causes’ public disorder is nonsense. Alcohol does not run about the streets. People do. If people are making nuisances of themselves, the police should be reminded that they are no longer New Labour’s equivalent of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and told to start protecting life and property again.

But, going back to Tesco’s, this is also another attempt by a joint stock limited liability corporation – which has no right to exist – to limit competition and raise profits. We have no doubt the Company will use the good publicity got from supporting this wicked policy to win planning permission appeals to build more superstores. The incidental misery into which millions of our poorest fellow citizens will be thrown never crosses their privileged, high-salaried minds.

On behalf of the Libertarian Alliance, I call on all progressive people of good will to boycott Tesco until it stops supporting this attack on the poor and on free competition.”

We would point out that while we find this article amusing, it does deliver a strong relevant message, not about alcohol particularly, but moreover the manipulative nature of big business on national law making.

On the context of the story, I firmly believe that selling any product for under cost price is fundamentally wrong in business, particularly as the customer will be paying over the odds for other products from the same supplier to counter act the losses.

As a teetotaller I very much resent the fact that my shopping bill is subsidising others who do purchase alcoholic products or anything else at below cost price – whoever they are.

If your company is already up and running or is in its earliest stages, the bank has a selection of business accounts that could be ideal for your needs. If you fall into the former category but are unhappy with the service you are currently getting, you may find switching banks is the right way to go. In these cases Lloyds TSB’s business banking department will do all it can to make the transition as easy as possible. Those in the latter stage however may be looking for all the help they can get and it is here they may also find they’re well catered for.

In order to help manage cashflow and resources in an effective way, Lloyds TSB has produced a selection of guides for both the experienced and novice entrepreneur. The bank has also produced a charter for small businesses which is designed to underline exactly what type of support can be offered across pledges that could provide help in the toughest of economic times.

The selection of guides also includes details on how to plan for these conditions and how changes in the market can impact your venture. Information on how to encourage customers to pay up on time is also featured, as is advice on how to monitor money flows between you, your customers, suppliers and employees. A selection of downloads, podcasts and webinars that support some of these issues are also available via the Lloyds TSB business banking website, meaning you have direct access to tips from a selection of experts once you are onboard.

The bank also has a partnership with Sage, one of the biggest suppliers of business management software in the UK, which provides users various free tools. In addition to this there is a 90-day trial version of Sage Start-up that will show you how to get to grips with some of the key issues that affect new businesses. Information available from the Institute of Credit Management is also available that covers subjects like knowing your customer, invoicing, credit insurance and treating suppliers fairly.

All of the above, in conjunction with access to a dedicated relationship manager that will help you make the most of your new business account, could mean that Lloyds TSB could be a great partner to have in getting your project where you want it to be.

Bev James & James Caan-EBA Directors

Anyone who has witnessed the aggressive nature of bosses, as depicted through television programmes such as The Apprentice, will have winced or cringed more than once at the way the panel of entrepreneurs talk to the budding business owners.

Of course without such ‘bully bosses’ the programmes would seldom be worth watching and everyone would win a place in the final if characters like Simon Cowell did not exist to tell it how it is.

So these people are invited to ’star’ in these shows to boost viewing figures by being controversial.

However, to work for such people would certainly be a nightmare and Bev James who launched the Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy (EBA) in March alongside the impeccably mannered James Caan (Dragons Den), quite laudably  launched an attack on Britain’s bully bosses yesterday.

Citing the number one reason for people leaving their jobs as being their relationship with their boss, Bev James said that there is “No place for Lord Sugar style bully bosses in the boardroom.”

“When a 20-something entrepreneur and future employer is influenced by the tough talking of Alan Sugar, Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey that they see on TV, they are developing a new breed of egotistical bully boss,” she explained. “It’s alienating employees and causing a lot of problems in terms of talent retention in the UK.“

“Today, where there are so many different ways to start a business – for example as an Ebay trader – many new entrepreneurs have little or no experience of working for a boss. Therefore, they have no reliable role models and can soon run into trouble when they find themselves in charge of a dozen or more employees as their enterprise grows. Young people need to know how effective leadership and people management is actually achieved. They need proper guidance and advice!“

“James and I are determined to help young entrepreneurs learn key management skills and have introduced an EBA coaching module, ‘How to Create & Retain Superstar Teams’, which will be run by successful millionaire mentors,” said Bev James.

As well as her involvement with James Caan in the EBA, Bev James is also MD of the worlds largest training agency, The Coaching Academy.

The initial launch markets in Europe include the UK, along with Portugal, Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, with all four countries offering government incentives to buyers of the eco friendly vehicle.

The price of purchasing the Nissan LEAF in the UK will be £23,350 after government incentives, putting the vehicle around the same area price wise as a similarly equipped diesel or hybrid vehicle.

The price before incentives is £28,350, and is subject to a recent UK government announcement that it would refund 25% of the purchase price of an all electric vehicle up to a ceiling of £5,000.

Further savings for UK customers will come in the form of zero vehicle excise duty and zero company car tax for five years. This is on top of the significant savings on fuel costs over a conventional engined vehicle, for average mileage motorists this would equate to just over £500 annually.

There are similar incentives available through all of the four initial European launch countries.

The Nissan LEAF is a compact, zero-emission five-passenger family car that comes fully equipped with features such as air conditioning, satellite navigation, a parking camera, a quick charge socket and innovative smart-phone connectivity.

Nissan has decided to launch in these countries first due to significant government incentives for electric cars, and the ongoing development of charging infrastructure for their successful adoption. By the end of next year, Nissan LEAF will be available in every major Western European country.

The high-speed rail company has become Official International Rail Services Provider and will be providing London 2012 with arrival and departure services at St Pancras International for those competing and working at the Games who are travelling to London on its trains.

It will also provide international rail services for London 2012’s operational requirements. Outside of its sponsorship with LOCOG, Eurostar will naturally be carrying many spectators from main land Europe to and from the Games in 2012 itself.

The cross-Channel rail operator has also acquired rights in France and Belgium and become a partner of the French and Belgian National Olympic Committees. As part of these deals, the French and Belgian Olympic teams will travel to and from the Games using Eurostar services.

As part of its sponsorship of the London 2012 Games, Eurostar will be conducting a number of activations across the UK, France and Belgium to promote London 2012 as a truly sustainable Games.

The first main Eurostar activation is the Tri-City-Athlon planned for 14 September 2010 which takes places across the three capital cities that Eurostar serves. Over one day participants will do a swim in Paris, a cycle in Brussels and a run in London.

Three former British Airways employees and one current employee had been charged with colluding with Virgin Atlantic to fix fuel  surcharge prices between 2004 and 2006.

The court heard on Monday that the Office of Fair Trading had failed to disclose key information to the defence, including an e mail that suggested that Virgin Atlantic had increased its fuel surcharge without consulting BA during the period in question, ending any speculation that the two companies had colluded.

William Boyce QC, defending one BA executive, said that had this e-mail come to light earlier, the case may never have come to court.

What a waste of time and money!